Assistant Professor

SEEKING A POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW, RESEARCH SPECIALIST AND PHD STUDENT. SEE POSITION ANNOUNCEMENTS BELOW.

My research group focuses on human dimensions of environmental change in forest ecosystems. The primary goal of my research is to increase scientific understanding of human behavior as it relates to the sustainability of socio-ecological systems. I investigate factors that enable and constrain human adaptation to environmental change including natural hazards and climate-related changes. I am particularly interested in understanding the capacity of individuals (e.g., private landowners) and organizations (e.g., natural resource agencies and environmental organizations) to adapt to environmental change through individual and collective natural resource management and environmental conservation actions. I draw on theories from the fields of natural resource sociology and human geography in my work. My methods include qualitative interview analysis, quantitative survey analysis and social network analysis. I collaborate with researchers from diverse disciplines using a broad range of analytical approaches and strive to address problems of concern to local practitioners.

Research Topics and Methods

Human adaptation to environmental change

Coupled human and natural systems

Landscape management, conservation and natural resource policy

Private landowner behavior

Qualitative individual and focus group research

Mail and web survey design and administration

Social network analysis

Current and Recent Research Studies

"Human Adaptation to Climate Change and Effects on Upper Midwest Forests," 2016-2018. Funded by USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, McIntire Stennis. PI with Bill Currie, University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and Environment.

"Human Adaptation to Climate Change in Forest Ecosystems," 2016-2017. University of Michigan MCubed Program. Co-PI with Seth Guikema, University of Michigan, Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering, and Gretchen Keppel-Aleks, University of Michigan, Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering.

"Coastal Community Resilience," 2015-present. Funded by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

"Understanding the Wildfire Risk Perceptions and Mitigation Practices of Nonindustrial Private Forest Owners: A Proposal for Research in the Lake States of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan," 2015-present. Funded by USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station.

“Forest Governance, Social Networks and Landscape Dynamics in the Western Cascades," a project of "Long-Term Ecological Research at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest (LTER7),” 2014 – 2020. Funded by the National Science Foundation. PI: M. Nelson, Oregon State University.

“Assessment of Socio-Economic Vulnerability to Climate-Related Changes in Forests and Grasslands in the U.S. Northwest,” 2013 – present. Funded by USDA Forest Service Region 6 and Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center. Co-PI with Michael Hand, USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station.

2010. Fischer, A.P., J. Bliss, F. Ingemarson, G. Lidestav and L. Lönnstedt. From the small woodland problem to ecosocial systems: the evolution of social research on small-scale forestry in Sweden and the USA. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 25 (4): 390 - 398.

2010. Fischer, A.P. and S. Charnley. Social and cultural influences on management for carbon sequestration on U.S. family forestlands: a literature synthesis. International Journal of Forestry Research 2010: 14.

SNRE Mission

The School of Natural Resources and Environment's overarching objective is to contribute to the protection of the Earth's resources and the achievement of a sustainable society. Through research, teaching and outreach, faculty, staff and students are devoted to generating knowledge and developing policies, techniques and skills to help practitioners manage and conserve natural and environmental resources to meet the full range of human needs on a sustainable basis.